QUEENS LIBRARY MAGAZINE May/June 2017 | Volume 3, Issue No. 3 Invest in Libraries – Invest in All New Yorkers! p.4 Celebrating LGBTQ Pride at the Library p.7 Flushing Children’s Room Build A Reopens p.14 Creative Aging Comes to Better World Queens p.16 QueensLibrary.org This Summer! p.8 1 QUEENS LIBRARY MAGAZINE A Message from the President and CEO Dear Friends, On March 1, nearly 100 members of the Queens Library community filled two buses at dawn for a trip to Albany to tell the borough’s state senators and assembly members in person how much they depend on Queens Library. Through their stories and conversations, our customers, supporters and staff helped our elected officials understand why they should approve more money for our libraries. I’m delighted to report to you that it worked. The state budget for the new fiscal year that started in April includes an additional $14 million in capital and operational funding for libraries statewide. This translates into extra dollars for our programming, resources and maintenance needs throughout our system. Our success would not have been possible had you not raised your voices. A week after the trip to Albany, members of the Queens Library community took another trip – this time to City Hall in Manhattan to tell their elected representatives on the New York City Council to consider a proposal to add $34 Sincerely, million to the City’s for seven-day service at more libraries and increase by $120 million the City’s budget for repairs to aging buildings and equipment. In the coming weeks, the City Council and Mayor de Blasio will decide whether to include this additional library funding in the budget. So there’s plenty of Dennis M. Walcott time to urge them to continue to invest in the City’s libraries at a time when President and CEO New Yorkers need them more than ever. That’s why I’d ask you to please take a few moments to send a letter in support of more public funding for libraries through this link: speakup.queenslibary.org. Your voices matter. Produced by Layout and Design Please contact the Editor Queens Library Jay Eom with any questions or concerns. Marketing and Communications Mingzhen Li Queens Library Magazine E-mail A Queens Library Publication Editors Marketing [email protected] 89-11 Merrick Boulevard Yves H. Etheart Amanda Beekharry Jamaica, NY 11432 Tabitha Laffernis Phone Production 718-990-0859 QueensLibrary.org Vincent Sgaglione Admission is free to all programs. Some Sign-language interpretation is available programs require preregistration. Please by request for most library programs. Follow us preregister with the library where the event Call Special Services at least two weeks in is taking place, or sign up at queenslibrary. advance at 718-990-0853; TTY 718-990- facebook.com/queenslibrarynyc org/events if online registration is offered. 0809. Please note that Queens Library will try to accommodate your sign-language twitter.com/queenslibrary Programs are subject to change without interpretation needs; however, this service notice, and some may not appear in this may not be available for all programs. magazine. For the most up-to-date listings, instagram.com/queenslibrary call the library where an event is taking All Queens Library locations, with the place, or go to queenslibrary.org/events. exception of Astoria, Glendale, and Queens Village, are fully or partially plus.google.com/+queenslibrary Get our Biweekly Newsletter, with highlights accessible to the handicapped. 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Updates at the top right side of the page. pinterest.com/queenslibrary Contents Magazine 2 What’s Happening 3 Queens Library is for Everyone 7 LGBTQ Pride at the Library 8 Build A Better World This Summer! 10 Battle of the Bands 2017 / Invest in Libraries – Glen Oaks Spring Festival 4 Invest in All New Yorkers! 11 The Summer Poetry Contest is Back 12 Staff profile: Meet Kacper Jarecki 14 Launching the Teen Podcast! 15 Jamaica FEASTS Gets Cooking! 17 Say hello to the new calendar brochures! 18 Read Great Magazines...Outside the Library! 19 Remembering Helen Marshall 20 New Staff Changes at Queens Library 14 Flushing Children’s Room Reopens Events 22 All Ages 35 Adults 59 Mail-a-Book 60 Job & Business Academy (JBA) 64 Other Languages • • • • по русски • 國語 • Español 75 Teens Creative Aging Comes to Queens 80 Children 16 17518-4/17 What’s Happening? period with our guests—the people, the politics, and the ambience of Sunnyside of old. The Queens Memory team will be on hand to digitize any historic photographs of Sunnyside that people bring to the event. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Queens Pride Parade, Queens Memory is partnering with the La Guardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College/ CUNY, with support from the Robert Join us at the Glen Oaks Spring Festival! David Lion Gardiner Foundation and the Queens Museum, to develop an LGBTQ oral history project. Queens Don’t Miss the Glen Oaks Library Aides, Adult Literacy Tutors, Memory will interview people in their Spring Festival ESOL Conversation Leaders, and more! homes, at libraries, and at local LGBTQ Celebrate the return of spring with Volunteers must be age 14 and older. community service organizations an all-day festival at Glen Oaks For more information, and to browse across the borough. The oral histories Community Library on Saturday, volunteer opportunities, visit volunteer. will be featured in an exhibit about May 20! There will be activities and queenslibrary.org. LGBTQ history in Queens, which will entertainment for all ages, and plenty open on June 2. For more information of community spirit! You can learn about both these projects, visit more about the Glen Oaks Spring the Queens Memory website at Festival on page 10 of this issue of queensmemory.org. Queens Library Magazine. Join the Battle of the Bands Share Your Poems with Us The second annual Queens Library This summer, we invite you to submit Battle of the Bands is coming soon, your poem to Queens Library’s Summer and we need your band to be part of Poetry Contest! Poets from all over New Queens’ most exciting day of music. York State can send us an original work We’ll be returning to the Colden based on the 2017 Summer Reading Picture courtesy of Grace Polk Auditorium at Queens College’s theme of “Build a Better World.” Kupferberg Center on July 27 for Winning poems will be published later another great concert. Find out more this year in Queens Library Magazine! Queens Memory Wants to on page 10 of this issue of Queens Learn more on page 11 of this issue. Hear Your Stories Library Magazine. ■ The Queens Memory Program, together ’ S R Volunteer at Queens Library with the website Bliss Street Sunnyside T O C E K Do you want to support your (www.sunnysidestories.website), will L community library, help your host a re-telling of stories from people neighborhood, or complete the hours who lived in Sunnyside as children the 3rd annual you need for community service? during the 1940s and 1950s. This event Join us for a “summer of service” at will be held on Saturday, June 3 at the BATTLE OF THE BANDS Queens Library! There are a variety of Queen of Angels Church Parish Center available positions at the Library this on the corner of Skillman Avenue J summer—including Summer Reading and 44th Street. Contributors to Bliss U 7 1 L Y 0 Assistants, Summer Lunch Helpers, Street Sunnyside will discuss that time 2 7 , 2 2 QUEENS LIBRARY MAGAZINE Queens Library QueensQueens LibraryLibrary isis forfor is for Everyone EVERYONE EVERYONE The Queens Library Everyone campaign was created as a response to the social and political tension that has affected 2017 so far. Whether it’s by celebrating diversity on the Queens Library Immigrant Day or encouraging staff to usher in patrons for the All-Library Welcome Day, Queens Library seeks to foster an environment of inclusivity, warmth, and safety. No matter where you’re from, who you love, or what you believe, Staff and customers at the Queens Library is a space for you. All—Library Welcome Day “In these polarizing times, many people equity, freedom, access to all, and the Library’s safe spaces to learn, in the communities we serve are lifelong learning. As part of the achieve, and strive towards your goals. feeling vulnerable and excluded, and Everyone campaign, a resource fair some are even facing the prospect that and librarian grants program will take Open Access to All the dreams they’re pursuing may slip place, allowing all residents of Queens Accessibility is a cornerstone of away from them,” said Queens Library access to services available, and Queens Library. With 63 branches President & CEO Dennis M. Walcott. funding for librarians to create more providing programs and services extensive programming dedicated that are completely free, there As an institution that provides to inclusivity, accessibility, and are no barriers to education and information, opportunity, and access information. empowerment. Plus, all of Queens to all, Queens Library is committed to Library’s community branches are helping them keep those dreams within Equity open at least six days a week, with reach. That’s why it’s more important Queens Library provides fair and seven-day service at Central and now than ever that we actively equitable access to all – no matter thirteen other locations – so you never demonstrate that we are inclusive and where you come from, who you love, have to find yourself without a place to welcoming.